The NFL’s Christmas Eve “Game of the Week” featured the 4-10 Chicago Bears hosting the 0-14 Cleveland Browns at snowy Soldier Field in Chicago.
The two teams met in the final preseason game in August, where the Browns blanked the Bears 25-0. But of course, nothing went right for Cleveland afterwards, losing their first 14 regular season games while being quarterbacked by the disappointing yet talented rookie, DeShone Kizer.
The Bears, meanwhile, snatched Mitch Trubisky on draft night despite heavy interest from his hometown Browns (and many other teams). Trubisky has shown a lot of rawness, as expected, but also the sort of promise that so far validates Ryan Pace’s bold move to go get him.
On Sunday, with both teams having nothing to play for except pride, Trubisky’s first regular season matchup against his childhood team was the biggest, and only real, storyline of the afternoon.
I predicted that the Bears would lose today, given their 0-7 record coming in under John Fox in favored games. It just made sense.
Alas, Trubisky’s first regular season showdown against his Browns, and Fox’s likely last ever game coached at Soldier Field, went very well for Chicago, as the Bears destroyed the Browns. My thoughts and observations from this game are below.
Hope all of you have a wonderful rest of your Christmas weekend!
0) Pregame Thought: I love snow football. No matter the matchup, I was excited about this game when I heard what the forecast was going to be.
1) In the first half, the Bears had no concept of blitz recognition or pickup on third downs. Gregg Williams, the Browns’ defensive coordinator, dialed up blitz after blitz and got to Trubisky three times. On the last one of the first half, Trubisky got drilled by three defenders pretty forcefully. Part of the blame falls on Trubisky, and he needs to be better at getting the protection ready going forward. For his own health’s sake.
2) In the second half, Loggains did a great job adjusting and calling screens to take advantage of a still-aggressive Browns defense. The first two, Benny Cunningham picked up 40 and 23 yards to keep drives alive. Revolutionary, I know. But I do think the use of Cunningham certainly fooled the Browns more than if the Bears had used Cohen, certainly.
3) Kyle Fuller made a great play on Kizer’s end zone INT throw, and broke up several other passes throughout the game. It’s interesting that teams continue to throw it his way, and for the most part, he holds his own. Today? He shut down Josh Gordon. He’s had a great season, and is surely looking at a big pay day this offseason. I don’t think Fuller deserves a contract as big as A.J. Bouye or Stephon Gilmore got last year, but I do think the Bears would do well by bringing him back at the right price.
4) Tarik Cohen is fantastic. His 28 yard punt return in the first half down the right sideline displayed 0-to-60 explosiveness we’ve seen time and again this year from him. He also made a terrific catch in traffic on a third-and-long from Trubisky to set up a fourth-down conversion attempt. I look forward to seeing how he contributes in a real offensive game plan next year, along with his improvement in the return game. Fans, no matter how pessimistic about the Bears’ direction, should be excited about him.
5) The Bears caught a break on the first play of the second half. Myles Garrett picked off Trubisky’s dump off and ran it back for a pick-six. But Carl Nassib was called for offsides, negating the momentum shifter. A few plays later, the Bears were back in the end zone. Good for the Bears to take advantage of a crucial mistake, but what a play by Garrett regardless. He’s a special talent.
6) Great job by Trubisky to finish off his QB draw for a touchdown that put the Bears up 20-3, by why call it? Why subject the franchise quarterback to unnecessary hits like that? I know the coaching staff is trying to win games at all costs, but that was a dumb play, even if it was successful. Trubisky took too many hits today.
7) A solid tackling display today by the Bears. A special shout out to Nick Kwiatkoski. He more than made up for last week’s poor game against the Lions.
8) In general, I was impressed by the energy the Bears displayed throughout the game. They were flying around the field and playing hard. Say what you want about John Fox and his coaching ability, but Akiem Hicks said that the Bears wouldn’t be the Browns’ first win of the season, and the players backed up that statement by playing like they cared.
9) Speaking of the Browns, they are … awful. I feel bad for Cleveland fans. As bad as the Bears have had it for many years, the Browns have had it much worse. They’re also a prime example of draft positioning not really mattering as much as scouting and proper player evaluation. And honestly, I don’t understand why Hue Jackson is safe next year.
10) Trubisky had another game with some ups and downs, but he showed continued growth today. And forget the stat sheet.
For example, in the fourth quarter with a big lead, a screen pass broke down and instead of forcing anything, Trubisky went through his progressions and decided to eat the football by sliding for a loss. Then again, on third down and backed up inside his own 10-yard line, he threw an accurate pass to Dontrelle Inman against a blitz that was dropped. But still, those were great plays, despite doing nothing on the stat sheet.
He knew when to tuck and run the ball, and made some accurate throws to keep drives alive. Another game to build off, along with the positive experience of a home win, going into next season.
11) In John Fox’s likely final game at Soldier Field, the Bears got him a win. That’s what I wanted for Christmas. But that’s all for Fox in Chicago. The next time the Bears take the field in Chicago, they’ll have a new coaching staff, and much more hope.
